Federal test data show that white male students nationwide who come from families poor enough to qualify for free or reduced-price lunches outperform black males from large cities whose families are better off economically, according to the report.

The report analyzed fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math results from the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress.

"We hope that this is a louder and more jolting wake-up call to the nation than this country is used to hearing," Michael Casserly, the council's executive director, wrote in the report. "The fact that previous calls have fallen on so many deaf ears is not encouraging, but we are convinced that we must ring the alarms one more time and play a larger role in setting this situation right."